I've mentioned before that both my dad and I have recently chosen players to begin super collecting. We each chose a player that is one of our favorite current players in baseball and decided to attempt to collect as many cards of that player as possible. As many of you know, the player that I chose is arguably the best reliever in baseball, Craig Kimbrel. While the player my dad chose is defensive superstar Jackie Bradley Jr.
JBJ isn't super well-represented in sets, but he still receives a fair amount of cards especially considering the main thing he's known for is defense. He made his debut in 2013 for the Sox and while he was inconsistent for a while, he's recently stepped it up and has become a reliable player.
My dad and I have amassed 25 cards of Jackie Bradley that range from 2010-2018. Here are my personal favorite 5.
#5 2010 Bowman Platinum
It seems weird to see Bradley not wearing a Red Sox jersey, but the fact is before he came to play in Boston, JBJ played for the Team USA Collegiate team at the young age of 20. Bradley ended up winning Most Oustanding Player of the 2010 College World Series and established himself as a talented player at a very young age. I know that when most people think of Bradley, they think of the Red Sox and so I realize it can be a bit odd not to see him in a Red Sox jersey. However, the number of cards showing him on Team USA is very slim, so I decided that this would be a unique choice to make the countdown.
#4 2016 Topps Heritage High Number Now & Then
The Heritage High Number inserts have never really been my favorites due to how bland they usually are. However, the 2016 Heritage High Number Now & Then insert is a major exception to that statement. Commemorating Bradley's 29-game hitting streak from earlier in the 2016 season, this card adds a couple of other details like a well-designed blue and orange banner to add an interesting and colorful feature to Heritage cards which can usually be a bit repetitive. This card helps the insert set stand out from the rest of heritage and how even though it's well done, the set doesn't leave much room for creative and new ideas. This card breaks away from that and ended up at the #4 spot.
#3 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Black and White Parallel
Bradley's Gypsy Queen base card was another option for this spot, but I personally like the black and white parallel (numbered 37/50) a bit more. It's not too different from the base card besides the fact that the entire card is black and white Topps was able to do an excellent job with these parallels and ended up creating some stunning cards that looked way better than the average parallel you see nowadays. It also elevates the 2017 Gypsy Queen set to a higher level by helping each detail along the border of the card, as well as the image itself stand out. That's why, despite it being close with the base card, the black and white parallel narrowly edged it out for the #3 spot.
#2 2017 Topps Bunt Programs
The Bunt program insert cards are a perfect example of Topps executing a fantastic idea very well to create a stunning overall result. They debuted in 2016 Bunt and were quickly deemed a success by many collectors, so Topps decided to bring the set back in 2017 and tweak it just a bit. Instead of going for a similar design for each card, Topps decided to design the cards around the player and more so, the team included on the card. For a player like JBJ (who I'm impressed made this 30-card insert set) this meant including a lot of red on the card like in the logo and the background. From what I've seen, every other player in this checklist had a similar card in terms of being designed around the player, which is why I enjoy this card enough to put it at #2.
#1 2015 Topps
As soon as I decided to make this list, I knew this card would make it to the very top. No questions asked. Bradley is obviously known for his defensive ability, yet not that many cards show him doing what he does best which is making fabulous catches in the outfield. Topps did a very good job and included this stunning picture of Bradley on his 2015 Topps base card, which proves that these images do exist and there are enough of them to put one on a Series 1 base card. If Topps starts to include Bradley making catches in the outfield on more of their cards than maybe this card will have some competition for the #1 spot. But for now, it's an easy decision.
No comments:
Post a Comment